Vampire Racing is currently working on the SR8 Plus brushless speed controller for 1/8th electric vehicles. The purpose-designed speed controller will feature a CNC-machined aluminium case, latest generation MOSFET technology for a true 180A continuous rating and an improved PTS 2 power timing system for optimised drivability. A prototype of the SR8 Plus will be on show at next week’s Nuremberg Toy Fair.
Click here to view another photo
Serpent have released more details on their new 1/8th nitro on-road chassis, the S977 Viper. The goal behind the newly designed vehicle is to have an easier to build, easier to maintain and easier to drive car. Many parts of the S977 saw refinements compared to the 966-TE and therefore the front end is now even more adjustable in terms of king pin angle, trailing or leading kingpin and even offset is adjustable with our compromising the overall strength. At the same time the rear was simplified with only one upright position and three shock mounting holes to make for easier setup. Also new is the rear brake system that found a new home at the rear differential to reduce the negative effects of the involved rotating masses. Incorporated into the design is also a very easy to adjust chassis flex option via a single screw as well as other refinements. The kit will hit the stores around March.
Click here to view more photos
New from Azarashi comes the Grayseal conversion kit for the Team Associated B44 and B44.1 buggy. The kit is designed to totally change the layout and weight distribution of the AE buggy by putting more weight into the rear. Based in a carbon fibre double deck chassis the Grayscale features a rear motor and rear battery setup, with the need to run 2S shorty battery packs. The speed controller is located behind the motor while a low-profile steering servo finds a home in a new upright position. The set includes a new main chassis, upper deck, front and rear shock towers, plastic servo mounts, lexan body and hardware.
Click here to view more photos
The second round of the Greek Attiko Offroad Championsships took place at the FRT4 astroturf track near Athens. The race saw a 2WD and 4WD buggy as well as a 2WD SC class and especially especially in the 4WD class a high class field was present including 1/8 buggy Greek Champion Tasos Paparegas with the all new XB4. Tasos adapted to the electric buggy pretty fast and managed to secure TQ with John Papanikolaou starting second and Dimitris Amaxas third in the grid. Paparegas went to win all A finals with dominant performance pulling the fastest times of the day. The second place went to John with Dimitris in third place.
Source: Xray [teamxray.com]
Following the Advantage One 405 charger Team Orion now also introduce the higher spec Advantage One 406 AC/DC charger. Coming in the same compact case the 406 features four button operation and a back-lit 2-line LCD display to monitor parameters such as charging current and voltage. The charger is designed for the use with 2S to 4S LiPo batteries and up to 8 cell NiXX packs and sports a charging current of up to 6A.
Click here to view the features and another photo
Elangears introduce the R-X2 AC/DC dual port charger. It offers one 10A and one 15A charge output with up to 110W/150W power and up to 7A of discharge current. Also incorporated is a 5V/1.5A USB output to charge and power mobile devices such as phones, tables and music players. Included with the charger comes a set of new input and output cables for easy and reliable battery connection.
Source: Elangears [elangears.com]
Capricorn have announced the return of Dario Balestri to their factory team. The top Italian driver will use the Capricorn Lab 801 for the next European Championships in the UK and World Championships in Japan and for all other races this season. Dario had this to say:
I’m happy to came back to the Capricorn team that gave me a lot of satisfaction at the World championship in 2011 in Miami with a third place and pole position at the European championship as well as the Italian championship title. I hope to have good results in the season 2013.
Source: Capricorn [capricornrc.com]
Team Orion’s new Advantage ONE 405 is a very attractively priced AC/DC entry level charger opening the doors to the quality and design of the Team Orion Advantage charger family. With a charge power of 50W this super compact charger can handle LiPo batteries with 2, 3 and 4 cells and NiXX batteries with 1-8 cells. The charge current can be chosen from 1, 2, 3 or 4 Amps. The Advantage ONE 405 comes with 4 buttons and 4 LED’s showing the charge current.
